Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum.

21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)

SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/

Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity

in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
Saran Kaur Gill1, Yuen Chee Keong1*, Christina Ong Sook Beng2 and Hao Yan1
1
School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
2
Department of Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Social Science,
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, P.O.Box 11384, 50744 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ABSTRACT
Malaysia is a multiethnic and multilingual nation. In order to meet this diversity, Malaysia
has developed an educational system with different languages as the medium of instruction
(MOI). From the Razak Report to the Rahman Talib Report and the 1961 Education Act,
Malay or Bahasa Melayu (BM) has been instituted as the national language and the MOI
in national schools, with the aim of promoting nation unity. However, in the case of the
Chinese vernacular schools, Mandarin is the MOI. Such a difference in MOI for the two
different school systems has allowed educationists and non-educationists alike to fault the
Chinese vernacular schools as an obstacle to racial unity. How valid and reliable is this
accusation? In contrast, Chinese educationists feel it is of utmost importance to preserve
their mother tongue (Mandarin) based education. Therefore, this paper will unravel
how Chinese medium schools impact on unity or the lack of it among the students via
interviews and a questionnaire adapted from Fazilah, Noraziah, Zaharah, Mansor, and
Azizah (2009). The findings have revealed that the students’ ethnicity and national identity
are best portrayed by Mandarin because of its strong association with their Chinese roots.
In addition, Mandarin is also the students’ language of choice both inside and outside the
classroom, which seems to suggest the absence of a sense of unity among them.

Keywords: Chinese vernacular schools, mother tongue education, medium of instruction, unity, language policy

ARTICLE INFO INTRODUCTION

Article history:
Received: 26 July 2011 Malaysian schools, since pre-colonial
Accepted: 21 December 2011

E-mail addresses:
period, have adopted different mediums
saran@ukm.my (Saran Kaur Gill), of instruction (MOI) to accommodate the
yuenck@ukm.my (Yuen Chee Keong),
ongsb@utar.edu.my (Christina Ong Sook Beng), multiethnic communities comprising three
bubuson.yan@gmail.com (Hao Yan),
* Corresponding author major ethnic groups; Malays, Chinese and
ISSN: 0128-7702 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

Indians. Hence, the Malaysian education beneficial or detrimental to national unity

system today is made up of three different
MOI’s at the primary level based on the
platform of multilingualism with equal
treatment for the three major ethnic
groups of the country. At the secondary
level, Malay (Bahasa Melayu-BM) is the
only official MOI. However, the Chinese
community has another option –‘outside’
the national education system to pursue
their secondary education. They can go to
Chinese independent schools, which are
not sanctioned by the government but are
still legitimate (Chong & Norsimah, 2007)
as they are officially monitored by United
Chinese School Committees Association
of Malaysia. These schools1 adopt their
mother-tongue2 as the MOI.
Given the existence of the different
types of schools in Malaysia, this paper
examines whether the MOI that is used
in Chinese vernacular schools has been
because vernacular medium schools have
been criticized as one of the causes for
disunity (Mior Khairul Azrin, 2011; Wan
Norhasniah Wan Husin, 2011).
To achieve this purpose, the language
practice of Chinese medium school students
is examined. Hence the research questions
of this study are:
1. How do students portray ethnicity
and national identity via the usage of
language?
2. Which language do students adopt in
their interactions?
3. Which language has the greatest impact
on national integration?
However, before this can be carried
out, a brief historical background that led
to the development of Chinese education in
Malaysia has to be discussed.

Fig.1: The Malaysian Education System

(Source: Adapted from World Data on Education, 2006)

1040 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
HISTORY OF CHINESE EDUCATION
The Chinese schools in Malaysia today are
a result of the great efforts made by the
Chinese community since the early 1800s.
Their development can be traced from two
different phases; British colonization and
post-independence Malaysia.
Under the British colonial government,
the Chinese were given the freedom to
develop their own educational system
because they were seen as birds of passage
who would return to their country of origin
after they had accumulated sufficient
wealth (Gill, 2007). Once independence
was achieved, the language policies in
Malaysia focused on the development of
BM because of the need for establishing a
national identity, which was vital since “the
language of a nation or an ethnic group is
often a symbol of its identity and allegiance,
and an embodiment of its values, culture
and traditions” (Tsui & Tollefson, 2004,
p. 2). Following the realization of how
significant a national language was to a
country, legislations were introduced and
acts were enacted to ensure uniformity in
official purposes in education as well as for
creating unity. The Razak Report, Rahman
Talib Report, and Article 152 of the Federal
Constitution had distinctly made provisions
for the languages of non-Malaysians.
The Razak Report (as cited in Kua,
1999) stated that,
... the ultimate objective of
education policy in this country
must be to bring together the
children of all races under a
Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
national education system in which
the national language is the main
medium of instruction… a national
system of education acceptable to
the people of the Federation as a
whole which will satisfy the needs
to promote their culture, social,
economic and political development
as a nation, having regard to the
intention of making Malay the
national language of the country
whilst preserving and sustaining the
growth of the language and culture
of other communities living in the
country (p. 62).
Although the intention of the Razak
Report was an endorsement for national
unity, Yang (Chong & Norsimah, 2007)
perceived it as of dual purposes. On the
one hand, it was in-line with mono-ethnic
culturalism because BM which is the
language of Malays was implemented in
many government educational acts such
as the Education Act of 1996, despite the
various school systems (Thock, 2009).
On the other hand, the report accepted a
proposal for a national education policy
based on multiculturalism because of the
need to preserve and sustain the growth
of languages and cultures of other ethnic
groups.
However, the dual purposes of the
Razak Report were seen as an obstacle
by the Rahman Talib committee, which
recommended the elimination of communal
secondary schools for the sake of national
unity. They felt that “it is impossible,
1041
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan
within the framework of a policy which is
truly national, to satisfy completely all the
individual demands of each cultural and
language group in the country” (Rahman
Talib Report, as cited in Tan, 2009).
Consequently, BM has become the main
MOI for all types of national secondary
schools at the expense of mother tongue
education.
To further uphold BM, Article 152 of the
Malaysian Federal Constitution states that
BM is the national language but the citizen is
free to learn and use other languages, except
for official purposes, that is, any purpose
with regard to the Government, Federal or
State, and of a public authority.
Undeterred by the policies enacted, the
Chinese community fought continuously
for Chinese medium schools which led
to an upsurge in enrolment in Chinese
vernacular schools after 1969 (Kua, 1999).
However, the Chinese were still doubtful
about the various acts, particularly the 1996
Education Act which Yang (as cited in Gill,
2007, p. 114) says, “does not guarantee
the permanent or continued use of mother
tongue as the main medium of instruction
in the existing Chinese vernacular primary
schools”. Despite these challenges, there
are approximately 1291 Chinese primary
TABLE 1
The Number of National and Chinese Medium Schools in Malaysia
Types of Schools
Chinese Vernacular schools (Primary)
National schools (Primary)
Secondary National schools3
Chinese Independent schools
(Source: EPRD, 2010 & United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia, 2010, as of 30th
June 2010)
1042 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
schools (Bahagian Perancangan dan
Penyelidikan Dasar Pendidikan [EPRD],
2010) and 61 Chinese Independent schools
(United Chinese School Committees’
Association of Malaysia, 2010) currently,
as shown in Table 1 below. The relatively
large number of Chinese schools compared
to the national schools reveals that the
Chinese resolve to keep the teaching of
Mandarin relevant although the government
has no intention of building new Chinese
primary schools, as stated by the Minister
of Education in 1999, Najib Tun Razak (Sin
Chew Daily, as cited in Thock, 2009).
ISSUES FACING CHINESE
VERNACULAR SCHOOLS
The dilemma of utilising language policies
in guaranteeing vernacular education
and the need for national integration is
a constant challenge in a multi-ethnic
country. To investigate whether Chinese
vernacular schools MOI contribute to
national unity, this section will examine
three pertinent issues, namely: i) the voices
for and against Chinese medium schools; ii)
the loyalty of the Chinese community, and;
iii) the proposal for the establishment of a
single education system arising from the
1Malaysia concept.
Total
1291
5881
1887
61
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
There has been a strong view from
some Malaysians, as reflected in the letters
to the editors of mainstream newspapers,
that the lack of Chinese students in national
schools was because of the more favourable
Chinese education and a growing number
of vernacular schools which have adopted
mother-tongue education. They were of the
opinion that the use of Mandarin to teach
all the subjects, except BM and English
languages, in the vernacular school system
works against the promotion of the national
language. The fight to uphold BM can also
be seen in the PPSMI 4 case, where the
main reason of its abolishment is because it
contradicts with Article 152 of the Federal
Constitution (Mior Khairul Azrin, 2011).
These factors are deemed to have further
hindered the Malaysian school systems
in forging unity among its different races,
as suggested by Norhashimah Jalaluddin
(2011), President of the Malaysian
Linguistic Society, when she raised the
question of who is deemed more patriotic
- citizens who wish for their own national
language to be the MOI or the citizens who
reject their country’s national language.
She further reminds the public that BM, as
the national language, is the essence and
soul of the national identity (Norhashimah
Jalaluddin, 2011). Likewise, Khoo Kay
Kim, an eminent scholar in education, is not
in favour of the vernacular school system,
too (Prof Khoo Kay Kim, 2009). He says:
Our education system must be
restructured, to include the creation
of single stream school to ensure
the achievement of 1Malaysia.
Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
The citizens have been segregated
according to one’s own stream and
mother tongue since young, so when
they grow up, it will be difficult for
them to work together and achieve
mutual understanding.
In contrast, Khoo Kay Peng (as cited
in Gill, 2007), Executive Director of Sedar
Institute, the think-tank of Gerakan, one
of the multi-racial political parties in
Malaysia, argues that children through their
strong literacy skills access knowledge
and information better in their mother-
tongue. Similarly, Yoong (2010) states
unequivocally that,
Whether done through parental
choice or otherwise, forcing a
child to accept instruction
through a dominant language
of instruction that is different
from the mother tongue (either
the dominant national language
or an international language) is
tantamount to immersion n or
submersion education (Skutnabb-
Kangas, 2000) because it is
analogous to holding learners
under water without teaching them
how to swim (p. 4).
These two differing views are described
by Schmidt (as cited in Gill, 2007, p. 119)
as the “advocates for minority language
equality … (who) speak in the language of
justice, while proponents of national unity
speak in terms of national good,” result in
1043
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

one of the most challenging complexities
of language policy conflict, which is “its
partisans often appear to be speaking past
each other — participating in parallel
discourse — rather than to each other,
seemingly motivated by differing concerns”.
It is also seen as a struggle between the
“warriors” of the national language, made
up of politicians and advocators (Asmah
Haji Omar, as cited in Chong & Norsimah,
2007) and the hua jiao dou shi (fighters of
Chinese education) involving the defenders
of mother tongue education system (Chong
& Norsimah, 2007). The education system
in Malaysia, summarized in the diagram
below, is a reflection of Schmidt’s statement.
Undeniably, the existence of two types
of schools has led to the complexity of
language policy depicted in the boxes on the
right where on the one hand, BM is deemed
as the tool to develop national identity by
the proponents of national unity; hence,
disregarding Chinese vernacular MOI due
to the limited usage of BM in those schools.
But the advocates for minority language see
BM as another compulsory subject with
little impact on national unity.
Besides the criticism made towards the
vernacular school system, the status of the
national language was raised in Malaysian
mainstream media, which questioned
the loyalty of Malaysian Chinese (Elias,
2008). The debate started when Toh (2010)
commented that not being well-versed in
BM would not make him less patriotic.
Some agreed, for instance Chan (2010)
who claimed to be comfortable speaking
English and saw no reason for putting pride
in culture and languages. However, Arbee
(2010) believes that BM should be given
the recognition befitting its status by all
who professed to be citizens of this country.
His view was echoed by Prime Minster
Najib Tun Abdul Razak, who reminded
Malaysians of the importance of speaking
good BM as it is our identity at the inaugural
1Malaysia National Teachers Assembly
(“Help student learn,” 2010).
Coupled with the above challenge is the
1Malaysia concept proposed by the current
Prime Minister, who has promoted it as the
essence of unity in diversity. He said that the
key to achieving unity is the celebration of
our diversity and his formula to accomplish

Other major languages, Using one language, Bahasa

namely, Mandarin and National Schools Melayu, also the national
Tamil, will be neglected. (MOI: Bahasa language is able to create
Melayu) unity.

Vernacular Schools &

Teaching in mother tongue BM is another mandatory
Chinese Independent
leads to better and subject in schools.
Schools
productive learning.
(MOI:
Mandarin/Tamil)

Fig.2: Two differing language policy views in Malaysia

1044 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

it is: Unity = Diversity + Inclusiveness (Kee, METHODOLOGY

2010). However, the equation is open to Unlike most people in Hong Kong,
huge intangible possibilities and to avoid who are of Chinese descent, resisting
1Malaysia ending up just like other slogans mother-tongue education and preferring
that came before it, Kee suggested that: English, which is seen as the language of
international commerce (Tsui, 2004), and
… it could set a goal to build racial
Singaporeans who supported bilingualism
unity, complete with an action plan
due to investments of many multinational
with detailed measures that would
corporations (MNCs) in the 70s (Pakir,
bring the different races together
2004), Chinese in Malaysia uphold Chinese-
to learn about one another so they
medium education intensely. It is so intense
can accept their differences. It
that opponents of Chinese medium education
could entail – I’m merely quoting
have attributed it as an obstacle to national
possibilities – the creation of a
unity. Therefore, to determine whether the
single-stream education system,
usage of MOI in Chinese medium schools
even a reform of the entire education
poses a threat to national integration, a
system in order to depoliticise it; the
questionnaire survey adapted from Fazilah
complete removal of the category
et al. (2009) (see Appendix A) was used
of “race” in all forms, official
because the questionnaire dealt with the
and otherwise… the organising
impact of language and social cohesion in
of projects to educate the masses
determining national identity, where three
on the celebration of diversity.
most relevant aspects were investigated;
Whatever fits the principles of
a) the portrayal of ethnicity and national
acceptance and diversity.
identity via the usage of language; b) the
choice of language and its functions; and
Kee’s proposal of having a single-
c) the extent of language influences on the
stream school5 system in building a united
integration and segregation of a community.
nation is considerable. It implies that
These aspects were scrutinized because
mother-tongue education system in general
they intertwine with national unity and that
plays a part in racial segregation.
language plays a pivotal role in providing a
In order to identify whether Chinese
country the means of developing a national
medium schools are the cause of segregation
identity and “socio-cultural authenticity”
and whether a single-stream education
(Gill, forthcoming).
system will ensure unity, it is important to
In this current study, the objective
unravel the current situation of propagating
is to determine whether the MOI used
unity in the Chinese school system.
in vernacular schools and the students’
attitudes in relation to the former result
in unity or segregation in Malaysia. The

Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013) 1045
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

Chinese school responses to unity were
analyzed based on the three categories
parallel with the research questions namely:
1) students’ perception of the usage of
certain languages which depict either
ethnicity or national identity; 2) their chosen
language and its function inside and outside
of school; 3) along with their perception on
which language has the greatest impact on
national integration. Some of the questions
asked according to the sections were shown
in Fig.3 to Fig.5 (the complete questionnaire
is found in Appendix B).

Bahasa Melayu patut diselaraskan dan diwajibkan penggunaannya di mana

sahaja supaya ia dapat menjadi identiti kebangsaan.
(The Malay language should be standardized and its usage must be made
compulsory so that it will be the national identity)
Saya mengiktiraf bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi.
(I acknowledge the Malay language as the national language)
Saya takut untuk berbahasa Melayu kerana takut identiti saya terhapus.
( I am afraid to speak Malay due to fear of disengagment from own identity)

Fig.3: Students’ perception on the usage of certain languages depicting ethnicity or national identity

Saya akan mengunakan bahasa Melayu ketika berjumpa dengan rakan dari
etnik lain di kantin.
(I will use Malay if I met friends of different ethnicity in the canteen)
Saya lebih suka menggunakan bahasa etnik saya ketika berinteraksi dengan
rakan sesama etnik.
(I prefer using my mother tongue when interacting with friends of similar
ethnic)
Saya akan menukar penggunaan bahasa apabila berinteraksi dengan etnik lain.
(I will code-switch when interacting with friends of different ethnicity)

Fig.4: Students’ choice of language and its functions

Saya rasa selasa kalau etnik lain dapat menggunakan bahasa etnik saya.
(I am comfortable seeing friends of different ethnicity using my mother tongue)
Saya sedia untuk menukar bahasa yang sedang saya gunakan dengan rakan
seetnik dengan saya jika bercakap dengan rakan dari etnik lain.
(I am ready to code-switch from my mother tongue to another language when
speaking with friends of different ethnicity)
Saya bersedia untuk menggunakan bahasa Melayu walaupun tidak sempurna.
(I am ready to use the Malay language even though it is not perfect)

Fig.5: Students’ perception on language that has the greatest impact on national integration

1046 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
For validation, an interview (See
Appendix C) was carried out to ensure the
reliability of the responses obtained from the
questionnaire. In addition to interviewing
the students, teachers’ perceptions on this
issue were also obtained during an interview
due to their personal experience at school
and their engagement with students on a
daily basis although they were not MOI contributes to unity or disunity.
involved in answering the questionnaire.
Sixty students equally distributed
between two, a Chinese vernacular school
and a Chinese Independent school, were
conveniently selected. Comparing the
responses from these two schools was not
the purpose of this study but they served as
a fair representation of both government-
aided and private Chinese schools in
Malaysia adopting Mandarin as the MOI.
It was also easier to obtain the consent
from the students as well as permission
of their principals before the study could
be conducted, one of the requirements of
convenience sampling adopted for this
study.
After retrieving the questionnaires
from thirty students each in the two urban
Chinese schools, their understanding of
the use of certain languages to unite a
country and their preferred language as
well as their perception on the impact
of language on national integration was
analysed. It was followed by an interview
with four teachers and ten students equally
distributed between the Chinese vernacular
school and Chinese Independent school for
triangulation purposes.
Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
The limitations of this study are the
small number of respondents (60 in all)
and the two Chinese schools which do not
represent the whole Malaysian Chinese
community. However, this small scale study
is conducted to obtain feedback on the real
situation existing in Chinese vernacular
schools with regards whether the adopted
Another limitation is the partial involvement
of teachers in contributing viewpoints which
are significant in revealing the present
picture in Chinese medium schools in
propagating unity.
DATA ANALYSIS
The Chinese school responses to unity were
analyzed in this section according to the three
research questions. Fig.6 shows a sampling
of the perceptions of students towards the
usage of certain languages in depicting
ethnicity or national identity (Research
Question 1). A total of 78.5% of the Chinese
education system students considered
Mandarin to be more important than BM,
while 95% believed that the constant usage
of Mandarin guaranteed its survival and
its importance would not diminish, and
99% of them preferred to use Mandarin
more than BM for various purposes. In
contrast, where BM is concerned, 13%
chose to communicate in BM and it was for
interaction with their non-Chinese friends.
Moreover, 65% showed a less than desired
attitude towards the national language,
where 24% confessed having relatively low
proficiency in BM, 11% were afraid their
1047
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

Chinese identity might be devalued if BM
was used and 30% had great appreciation
for Mandarin.
For Research Question 2, where the
students’ choice of language in interactions
was queried (see Fig.10), only 41.7% of the
Chinese medium school students believed
that using a similar language (i.e. the Malay
language) would reinforce integration
among the school community. A majority of
the students (86.7%) believed that English
or Mandarin should be the national language
and 83.3% thought English should replace
BM as the unifying language as English is

Scale
Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly
No Item Disagree (1) (2) (3) Agree (4)

C.I1

C.I

C.I

C.I
V

V
V2
1 Saya suka menggunakan bahasa etnik/ dialek 0 0 1 0 13 6 18 22
saya.
(I like using my mother tongue/ dialect)
2 Saya perlu menggunakan bahasa ibunda saya 4 0 2 1 5 5 19 24
supaya tidak lupus.
(I have to use my mother tongue so that it will not
die out)
4 Identiti saya dapat dikenali dengan bahasa yang 4 0 3 3 10 10 13 17
saya gunakan.
(The language I use represent my identity)
8 Saya hanya akan menggunakan bahasa Melayu 3 4 8 5 12 9 7 12
apabila berinteraksi dengan rakan berbangsa
Melayu sahaja.
(I will only use the Malay language when
interacting with Malay friends)
10 Bahasa Melayu patut diselaraskan dan 14 9 11 9 4 10 0 3
diwajibkan penggunaannya di mana sahaja
supaya ia dapat menjadi identiti kebangsaan.
(The Malay language should be standardized and
its usage must be made compulsory so that it will
be the national identity)
11 Saya mengiktiraf bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa 7 6 10 10 12 10 0 5
rasmi.
(I acknowledge the Malay language as the
national language)
13 Saya lebih mengiktiraf bahasa Cina berbanding 1 0 0 3 11 8 18 19
bahasa Melayu.
(I acknowledge Mandarin more than the Malay
language)
15 Saya menghormati bahasa Melayu sebagai 4 2 6 7 12 14 7 8
bahasa rasmi Malaysia.
(I respect and value the Malay language as the
official language in Malaysia)
1
C.I is the acronym for Chinese Independent Schools
2
V is the acronym for Vernacular Schools

Fig.6: Perception of the usage of certain languages depicting ethnicity or national identity section

1048 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

not the native language of any ethnic group
in Malaysia. Fig.10 illustrates the students’
choice of language and its functions in brief.
When the students were asked to choose
their preferred language to converse with
their teachers and school authority, 75.7% of
them chose Mandarin (see Fig.7). Similarly,
when they were again asked to choose
between Mandarin and BM for leisure or
formal discussion outside and inside the
school environment, it was apparent that
Mandarin was their choice, as indicated in
Fig.8 and Fig.9. In particular, they claimed
that Mandarin was a simpler language to
use compared to BM for communicative
purposes.
It was confirmed in the interview
that the students regarded BM as just a

Preferred language when communicating with

teacher and school authority

Mandarin 75.7

BM 24.3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Fig.7: The preferred language when communicating with teachers and school authority

Preferred language in class

Mandarin 91.2

BM 8.8

0 20 40 60 80 100

Fig.8: Students’ preferred language in class

Preferred language out of class and school

Mandarin 75.2

BM 24.8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Fig.9: Students’ preferred language outside classroom and school environment

Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013) 1049
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

compulsory subject in school, when they … learning BM is a responsibility

were asked if BM could be used to unite and it is compulsory. So I learn BM
students in the Chinese medium schools. to pass the government exam
However, 66.7% of them were willing to (Chinese vernacular school
use the Malay language even though they Student 4)
were not proficient at it. Below are samples
of the students’ responses.

Scale
Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly
Disagree (2) (3) Agree
No Item
(1) (4)

C.I

C.I

C.I

C.I
V

V
1 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu ketika berinteraksi dengan 19 8 8 14 2 7 1 1
pengurusan tertinggi sekolah dan juga pengetua.
(I use the Malay language when interacting with the school
authorities and the principal)
2 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu di luar bilik darjah. 14 12 9 15 6 3 1 0
(I use the Malay language outside the classroom)
3 Saya menggunakan bahasa Cina ketika berinteraksi dengan guru. 1 1 10 3 10 20 19 6
(I use Mandarin when interacting with the teachers)
4 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu semasa berinteraksi dengan 14 13 13 15 2 1 1 1
rakan dalam bilik darjah.
(I use the Malay language when interacting with friends in the
classroom)
6 Saya lebih suka menggunakan bahasa Cina berbanding bahasa 0 0 2 2 4 4 24 24
Melayu di luar kelas.
(I prefer using Mandarin more than Malay outside the classroom)
7 Saya berasa bangga apabila bercakap bahasa Cina. 1 0 1 1 7 7 21 22
(I feel proud when I am speaking Mandarin)
8 Saya fasih berbahasa Cina berbanding Bahasa Melayu. 1 0 3 1 5 4 21 25
(I speak Mandarin fluently as compared to Malay)
9 Saya berpendapat bahasa Inggeris/ Cina lebih wajar dijadikan 1 0 3 3 9 8 17 19
bahasa kebangsaan.
(I think English/Mandarin should be made the national language)
12 Saya akan menukar penggunaan bahasa apabila berinteraksi 0 1 4 7 20 17 6 5
dengan etnik lain.
(I will code-switch when interacting with friends of different
ethnicity)
13 Saya sebolehnya mengelak dari bercakap bahasa Melayu apabila 6 3 9 9 11 14 4 4
di luar kelas.
(I will avoid speaking the Malay language outside the classroom)
15 Bahasa Melayu lebih penting digunakan di luar bilik 10 8 16 14 3 6 1 2
darjah/sekolah.
(The Malay language is significantly used outside the
classroom/school)
18 Bahasa Cina lebih digunakan daripada bahasa Melayu untuk 0 0 5 2 8 7 17 21
tujuan komunikasi.
(Mandarin is used more than Malay for communication purposes)
21 Berbahasa Cina lebih mudah untuk berkomunikasi dengan etnik 0 2 7 4 7 10 16 14
lain.
(Mandarin is a simpler language to be used to communicate with
friends of different ethnicity)
25 Penggunaan bahasa Inggeris melunturkan jati diri kebangsaan. 3 12 4 6 16 6 8 5
(Using English will diminish one sense of national identity)

Fig.10: The choice of language and its functions

1050 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

We g r o w u p i n a C h i n e s e A majority (75.6%) of them agreed that

environment, so using Mandarin is
normal. I learn BM because I live
in Malaysia and BM is our national
language
(Chinese Independent school
Student 2).
Finally for Research Question 3, where
students were asked the language that had
the greatest impact on national integration
(see Fig.11), a total of 71.7% did not agree
with the view that BM would enhance
bonding among the different major ethnic
groups (Malays, Chinese and Indians).
segregation happened among students due to
the frequent usage of one’s mother tongue.
When they were asked whether they were
comfortable seeing friends of other ethnic
groups using their mother tongue, 85%
showed acceptance. In addition, they felt at
ease using Mandarin with their non-Chinese
friends in school during the interview.
DISCUSSION
To ensure consistency with the data obtained
from the questionnaire, the students’ insights
to national unity were complemented by the
teachers’ via interviews. Students’ choice

Scale
Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly
Disagree (2) (3) Agree (4)
No Item (1)
C.I

C.I

C.I

C.I
V

V
1 Saya rasa selasa kalau etnik lain dapat menggunakan 2 0 5 2 19 11 14 7
bahasa etnik saya.
(I am comfortable seeing friends of different ethnicity using
my mother tongue)
2 Saya sedia untuk menukar bahasa yang sedang saya 0 0 12 3 11 16 7 11
gunakan dengan rakan seetnik dengan saya jika bercakap
dengan rakan dari etnik lain.
(I will code-switch when interacting with friends of different
ethnicity)
3 Saya bersedia untuk menggunakan bahasa Melayu 5 5 4 4 20 13 2 7
walaupun tidak sempurna.
(I am ready to use the Malay language even though it is not
perfect)
4 Saya percaya penggunaan satu bahasa yang sama iaitu 10 8 13 7 4 10 3 5
bahasa Melayu dapat mengukuhkan perpaduan di kalangan
komuniti sekolah.
(I believe by using a similar language i.e. the Malay
language can increase unity among the school communities)
5 Saya yakin penggunaan bahasa Melayu dapat merapatkan 8 7 17 9 5 9 0 5
hubungan dengan etnik yang lain.
(I am certain that using the Malay language can enhance
bonding among different ethnicities)
10 Saya rasa tersisih apabila saya dikalangan rakan etnik lain 0 5 11 10 13 11 6 4
dan mereka bercakap dalam bahasa etnik mereka.
(I feel marginalized if my friends of different ethnicity speak
in their mother tongue when I am around)

Fig.10: Perception on language that has the greatest impact on national integration

Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013) 1051
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan
of language was one of the major concerns,
as shown in Fig.7, Fig.8, and Fig.9. It
appears that students in Chinese schools
preferred Mandarin as their language of
choice because of their fluency in the
language, the lack of interactions with other
races in the school and its usefulness as a
language of communication. The students
were very comfortable using Mandarin to
express themselves. There were limited
opportunities for them to use BM with
other races in a monolingual school and
Mandarin could be used within Malaysia
and internationally. Interestingly, most
teachers agreed that the usage of Mandarin
was a representation of what and who the
students were. The strong preference for
Mandarin showed the strong bond they
possessed with their Chinese roots. The
reasons given below as to why BM was not
a preferred language revealed the underlying
realities faced by the teachers in propagating
unity in the schools:
We d o n o t h a v e m a n y
Malay friends so BM is used for
communication purposes in the
government sectors like when we
want to renew our IC or passport.
(Chinese Independent school
Student 2).
BM is a compulsory subject to
pass in order to obtain the SPM
result. We are learning it for the
sake of passing the exam and to
secure a scholarship or a place in
1052 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
the matriculation, not because we
like it.
(Chinese vernacular school
Student 2).
BM or Bahasa Indonesia are
generally used in South East
Asia, specifically Malaysia and
Indonesia; and it is not the language
of trade and business.
(Chinese Independent school
Teacher 2).
Presently, Chinese is growing
economically but the market is very
small for Malay. When you look at
America, the former president of
American, Mr. Bush said people
should know China is one huge
market by means of Chinese
language.
(Chinese vernacular Teacher 1)
The above responses provided an
overall picture of the Chinese medium
school students’ purpose of learning the
national language as well as the teachers’
view of the functions of BM. They regarded
BM as a tool for personal enhancement
ranging from business to education and
communication purposes. This stand mirrors
Gardner and Lambert’s (as cited in Brown,
2007) instrumental motivation in learning
a language where instead of wishing to
integrate themselves into the culture of
a language group in this case, the non-
Chinese, they choose to acquire a language
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
as a means for attaining instrumental goals
like furthering a career.
When teachers were asked the problems
they face in trying to foster unity among
the students, findings from the interviews
conducted presented the following
viewpoints:
In my school I can say 99% of
the students are Chinese, so the
problem of unity happens only when
they are outside the school.
(Chinese vernacular Teacher 2)
I do not have this kind of chance
to realize unity. I do not have
any student from different races.
Independent schools seldom have
other races.
(Chinese Independent school
Teacher 1)
The teachers’ points of view, with regard
to the mono-ethnic environment, were
verified in the ratio of Chinese students and
teachers to non-Chinese in both vernacular
and Chinese Independent schools shown
in the following table. Although there is
a strong mix in the Chinese vernacular
schools, the number of Chinese students still
outnumbered other ethnicity by 7:1, whereas
it is 68:1 in Chinese Independent schools.
Lee Lam Thye (as cited in Lim & Kang,
2010), the 1Malaysia Foundation trustee,
stresses the same point when he says:
Students nowadays do not mix much
with those of different races. It must
also be remembered that students
Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
who go to vernacular schools lack
the opportunity to get to know
friends from other races. This
problem may not be so apparent
in the remote areas of Sabah and
Sarawak, even though there are
many indigenous tribes, because all
the students go to the same school
(p. 10).
In addition to the above-mentioned
realities, the teachers stressed on their
main duty in school, which is to complete
the syllabus assigned, i.e. Integrative
Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KBSM),
has discreetly deterred teachers’ initiative in
propagating national unity. Some of them
claimed that they did indirectly tell the
students what was right and wrong when
they brought up ethnic issues during class
discussions. The efforts of these schools in
promoting national identity via the national
language were insufficient as a result of the
struggle among the teachers to balance a
variety of tasks and responsibilities at the
same time. Since the implementation of
KBSM by Malaysian Education Ministry,
teachers according to Shahril@Charil
Marzuki and Habib Mat Som (as cited in
Idris Aman & Rosniah Mustaffa, 2006) have
to plan numerous activities and teaching
aids to enhance students’ ability and
interest. Additionally, they should produce
individuals who are literate in Information
and Communicative Technology and who
are capable of exploring new knowledge so
that they can communicate effectively in
multiple socio-cultural conditions (Zahirah,
1053
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan
as cited in Idris Aman & Rosniah Mustaffa,
2006).
Another interesting phenomenon is
the preference of more than half of the
students choosing English over BM as
the unifying language. No doubt English
is not the native language of any ethnic
group in Malaysia, thus known as ‘neutral’
(Ong, 2005), but it was once a colonizer’s
language. This fact, however, does not stop
some Malaysians including the respondents
of this study from appreciating its benefit.
The students from Chinese vernacular MOI
are aware that English will be used for more
purposes in the future. This is substantiated
by the fact that these students formed the
majority group who agreed that English
would remain the world language as in
the British Council’s English 2000 Global
Consultation Questionnaire conducted by
Graddol (2000).
In general, consideration of BM as a
language of communication in Malaysia,
the lack of interactions with friends from
other ethnic groups in the Chinese medium
school, the emphasis teachers placed on the
efficacy in delivering the content of a subject
and championing of English appear to have
a negative effect on national unity.
CONCLUSION
Despite the limitations of the small samples
of subjects and schools, the current study
was able to provide reasonable answers
as to how students portrayed ethnicity and
national identities via the use of Mandarin.
They believe that the language used
symbolizes their ethnic and cultural roots.
1054 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
Besides, it also had social economic value.
In terms of language choice, students prefer
using Mandarin in their daily interactions
while English in their opinion can be the
ultimate language to unite Malaysians. The
rationale of disregarding BM as a unifying
language was because students had failed
to understand the association between unity
and the use of language. This perception was
compounded by the realities teachers faced
in trying to promote unity in the school into
their teaching.
Shedding light on the issue of unity in
Malaysia, this study has unravelled responses
directly from the affected parties. However,
issues brought up by other researchers
regarding Chinese education in Malaysia
must also be taken into consideration when
considering national unity. Wong (2006)
pointed out a profusion of benefits (for
example, enhancing the competence of
Malaysian student as being multilingual,
promotion of Chinese culture and tradition
to the others, broadening the opportunity
to study abroad) that Malaysia can obtain
by having Chinese language education
in relation to globalization. Chong and
Norsimah (2007) highlighted the Chinese’s
determination to strengthen their mother
tongue through the institutionalization of
Chinese education was a result of the fear
of language assimilation under the national
language policy as reflected in the responses
obtained from this study when the students
and teachers appeared to be holding strongly
to their mother tongue.
To conclude, having a multi-ethnic
environment in which students get to
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
study, play and progress together is an ideal
school. Besides ensuring the development of
national integration and national unity, the
young may understand and appreciate their
motherland as a whole. Many Malaysians
have suggested a single-stream school
system to achieve national cohesiveness
but it is not politically feasible to eliminate
Chinese-medium schools as this will lead to
political chaos and instability for the nation
(Gill, 2007). It is also not right to presume
vernacular schools as the major contributing
cause of disharmony as there are other causes
of disunity among Malaysians. Therefore,
attempts should be made to identify these
causes. Meanwhile, the government should
continue to provide access to maternal
languages of the dominant ethnic groups
besides encouraging actual interaction
and engagement among the various races
to learn the meaning of becoming a true
Malaysian.
ENDNOTES
1
Independent Chinese Secondary Schools
(ICSS) are not subsidized in any form by
the government; therefore, these schools
are funded by initiatives of various Chinese
associations and community projects and
relatively higher tuition fees (Chong &
Norsimah, 2007). ICSS are grouped under
the roof of Chinese Private Education
System, monitored by The Private Education
division (PED) also known as Bahagian
Pendidikan Swasta (BP Swasta) (www.
schoolmalaysia.com).
Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
2
Mother tongue, by definition is the first
language of a particular ethnic group. In this
sense, Hua Yu being a language that is taught
formally in school may not be the mother
tongue as per se, as these children may
have been speaking some forms of mother
tongue, which are the Chinese dialects. But
it has been widely acknowledged that the
mother tongue of the Malaysian Chinese
is solely Hua Yu (Mandarin) (Chong &
Norsimah, 2007).
3
At secondary level, the only MOI is BM
hence it is called National schools except
private secondary schools.
4
In 2002, the then prime minister, Tun Dr.
Mahathir Mohamad introduced a new policy
called the teaching of Mathematics and
Science in English (Pengajaran Pendidikan
Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa
Inggeris-PPSMI) where English is made
the language of instruction of the mentioned
subjects aiming to enhance students’ English
proficiency while learning the content.
However, after 7 years of implementation,
the Malaysia Ministry of Education (MOE)
has decided to end the policy by 2012
(Norhashimah Jalaluddin, 2011).
5
“One school system adopts Bahasa
Malaysia as the medium of instruction.
Pupils would then be given the option to
study their mother tongues. Under this
system, the Malays will also have the option
of studying other languages like Mandarin
and Tamil and this will further boost unity
among them,” said Mukhriz Mahathir (as
cited in Elias, 2008).
1055
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan
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 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

APPENDIX A
QUESTIONNAIRE

Bahagian A
Latar Belakang Responden

Bil. Item Jawapan

1 Jantina Lelaki
Perempuan
2 Etnik Melayu
Cina
India
Bumiputera
Lain-lain (Nyatakan):
3 Negeri Asal
4 Agama Islam
Buddha
Hindu
Lain-lain (Nyatakan):
5 Bahasa Ibunda
6 Nama Sekolah Rendah
7 Nama Sekolah Menengah
8 Kawasan Kediaman Keluarga Kampung
Pekan
Bandar
Bandaraya

Bahagian B
Sila jawab pernyataan di bawah dengan menandakan √ mengikut skala berikut.
1. SANGAT TIDAK SETUJU 2. TIDAK SETUJU 3. SETUJU
4. SANGAT SETUJU
Mengkaji bagaimana bahasa mengambarkan etnik dan identiti kebangsaan.

Bil Item Skala

1 2 3 4
1 Saya suka menggunakan bahasa etnik/dialek saya.
2 Saya perlu menggunakan bahasa ibunda saya supaya tidak lupus.
3 Saya perlu menggunakan bahasa ibunda saya supaya dapat diwariskan
kepada generasi seterusnya.
4 Identiti saya dapat dikenali dengan bahasa yang saya gunakan.
5 Bahasa yang selalu saya gunakan melambangkan identiti saya.
6 Saya faham bahasa Melayu tetapi tidak fasih dalam bertutur.
7 Saya lebih kerap menggunakan bahasa Melayu di sekolah berbanding
sebelum ini.

1058 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

8 Saya hanya akan menggunakan bahasa Melayu apabila berinteraksi

dengan rakan berbangsa Melayu sahaja.
9 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu ketika berinteraksi dengan rakan
saya dari etnik/dialek lain.
10 Bahasa Melayu patut diselaraskan dan diwajibkan penggunaannya di
mana sahaja supaya ia dapat menjadi identiti kebangsaan.
11 Saya mengiktiraf bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi.
12 Saya takut untuk berbahasa Melayu kerana takut identiti saya terhapus.
13 Saya lebih mengiktiraf bahasa Cina berbanding bahasa Melayu.
14 Saya suka menggunakan bahasa Inggeris/ Cina apabila berinteraksi
dengan rakan etnik kecuali etnik Melayu.
15 Saya menghormati bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi Malaysia.

Bahagian C
Sila jawab pernyataan di bawah dengan menandakan √ mengikut skala berikut.
1. SANGAT TIDAK SETUJU 2. TIDAK SETUJU 3. SETUJU
4. SANGAT SETUJU
Mengkaji pilihan bahasa dan fungsi bahasa tersebut di dalam dan luar kelas.

Bil Item Skala

1 2 3 4
1 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu ketika berinteraksi dengan pengurusan
tertinggi sekolah dan juga pengetua.
2 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu di luar bilik darjah.
3 Saya menggunakan bahasa Cina ketika berinteraksi dengan guru.
4 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu semasa berinteraksi dengan rakan dalam
bilik darjah.
5 Saya menggunakan bahasa Melayu dalam perbincangan tugasan.
6 Saya lebih suka menggunakan bahasa Cina berbanding bahasa Melayu di
luar kelas.
7 Saya berasa bangga apabila bercakap bahasa Cina.
8 Saya fasih berbahasa Cina berbanding Bahasa Melayu.
9 Saya berpendapat bahasa Inggeris/ Cina lebih wajar dijadikan bahasa
kebangsaan.
10 Saya akan mengunakan bahasa Melayu ketika berjumpa dengan rakan dari
etnik lain di kantin.

11 Saya lebih suka menggunakan bahasa etnik saya ketika berinteraksi dengan
rakan sesama etnik.
12 Saya akan menukar penggunaan bahasa apabila berinteraksi dengan etnik
lain.
13 Saya sebolehnya megelak dari bercakap bahasa Melayu apabila di luar
kelas.
14 Bahasa Cina lebih penting digunakan di luar bilik darjah/sekolah.

Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013) 1059
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

15 Bahasa Melayu lebih penting digunakan di luar bilik darjah/sekolah.

16 Bahasa Cina lebih digunakan daripada bahasa Melayu di luar bilik darjah/
sekolah.
17 Bahasa Melayu lebih digunakan daripada bahasa Cina di luar bilik darjah/
sekolah.
18 Bahasa Cina lebih digunakan daripada bahasa Melayu untuk tujuan
komunikasi.
19 Bahasa Melayu lebih digunakan daripada bahasa Cina untuk tujuan
komunikasi.
20 Saya akan menggunakan bahasa Inggeris/ Cina terlebih dahulu untuk
menegur tetamu sekolah.
21 Berbahasa Cina lebih mudah untuk berkomunikasi dengan etnik lain.
22 Berbahasa Melayu lebih mudah untuk berkomunikasi dengan etnik lain.
23 Saya akan berbahasa Cina apabila berurusan di kaunter perkhidmatan di
sekolah.
24 Saya akan berbahasa Melayu apabila membuat panggilan kepada rakan
etnik lain.
25 Penggunaan bahasa Inggeris melunturkan jati diri kebangsaan.

Bahagian D
Sila jawab pernyataan di bawah dengan menandakankan √ mengikut skala berikut.
1. SANGAT TIDAK SETUJU 2. TIDAK SETUJU 3. SETUJU
4. SANGAT SETUJU
Sejauhmana bahasa terlibat dalam mengukuhkan dan memisahkan komuniti.

Bil Item Skala

1 2 3 4
1 Saya rasa selasa kalau etnik lain dapat menggunakan bahasa etnik saya.
2 Saya sedia untuk menukar bahasa yang sedang saya gunakan dengan rakan
seetnik dengan saya jika bercakap dengan rakan dari etnik lain.
3 Saya bersedia untuk menggunakan bahasa Melayu walaupun tidak sempurna.
4 Saya percaya penggunaan satu bahasa yang sama iaitu bahasa Melayu dapat
mengukuhkan perpaduan di kalangan komuniti sekolah.
5 Saya yakin penggunaan bahasa Melayu dapat merapatkan hubungan dengan
etnik yang lain.
6 Penggunaan bahasa Melayu di kalangan pelajar sekolah dapat meningkatkan
jati diri kebangsaan.
7 Saya berdapat bahasa Inggeris dapat mengukuhkan perpaduan di kalangan
komuniti sekolah kerana Bahasa Inggeris merupakan bahasa yang tidak
dipunyai oleh mana-mana etnik di Malaysia.
8 Saya berpendapat bahasa etnik lain harus dilarang penggunaaanya dan semua
pelajar dan staff sekolah mesti bercakap bahasa Melayu ketika di dalam
sekolah.

1060 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

9 Penggunaan bahasa mengikut etnik secara berleluasa oleh pelajar sekolah

menanamkan sifat perkauman antara pelajar.
10 Saya rasa tersisih apabila saya dikalangan rakan etnik lain dan mereka
bercakap dalam bahasa etnik mereka.

Note: This questionnaire was adapted from Fazilah et al. (2009) Bahasa dan Kejelekitan
Sosial dalam Membentuk Jati Diri Kebangsaan supported by UKM-GPP-PPKK-06-2009.
However, we have significantly changed it to suit our research purposes.

Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013) 1061
 Saran Kaur Gill, Yuen Chee Keong, Christina Ong Sook Beng and Hao Yan

APPENDIX B
Fazilah et al. (2009) Questionnaire

Fazilah et al. (2009). Bahasa dan kejelekitan sosial dalam membentuk jati diri kebangsaan
[Language and social cohesion in forming national identity]. Unpublished manuscript.

(Please find the separate document entitled Fazilah et al. questionnaire)

1062 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 21 (3): 1039 - 1064 (2013)
 Impact of Chinese Vernacular Medium of Instruction on Unity in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

APPENDIX C
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

For Students For Teachers

What does being a Malaysian mean? Smith (1991) characterized national identity as a
multidimensional concept, which also includes
a specific language, sentiments and symbolism.
What is your view on the definition of “national
identity”?
What does being a Chinese in Malaysia mean? To what extend do you agree that to belong to
an ethnic group is to possess a common descent,
cultural heritage, religion, language and a
distinctive history and destiny and to feel a sense of
collective uniqueness and solidarity?
How do you identify yourself?  Do you feel that Which do you emphasize in your teaching,
you are Malaysian first and then Chinese, OR “national identity” or “ethnic identity”. What are
Chinese first and then Malaysian as in Malaysian of your reasons for doing so?
Chinese ethnicity OR Chinese Malaysian?  Why?
In a survey, 78.5% of the Chinese education system In a survey, 78.5% of the Chinese education system
students consider Mandarin is more important than students consider Mandarin is more important than
the Malay language (BM)? Why is this so? the Malay language (BM)? Why is this so?

In a survey, only 28.3% of the Chinese students
prefer using BM outside the classroom. Why is this
happening?
Do you think BM can be used to unite students in
Chinese medium schools? Why?
How do you think the school system can contribute
to unity?
In a survey, only 28.3% of the Chinese students
prefer using BM outside the classroom. Why is this
happening?
The education policy has identified the undisputed
role of BM as the medium of instruction (in SMJK
to be specific) but in reality teachers and students
converse in Mandarin and sometimes the teaching
is also carried out in this language. In your view,
how will the inculcation of national identity
amongst these students be affected by this practice?
What can be done to help Chinese medium schools
students respect and acknowledge BM.?

Do you learn about cultures and languages of the
other ethnic groups in Malaysia? If yes, in what
ways?
Do you think BM can be used to unite students in
Chinese medium schools? Why?
How do you use language to instil the values of
unity among your students in school?
Could you please share the problems you face in
trying to instil unity among the students in your
school?
How do you think the school system can contribute
to unity?
Do the students learn about cultures and languages
of the other ethnic groups in Malaysia? If yes, in
what ways?

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